Got my D whitecap from Mr. Hoover a week or so ago and got my Bb today. Wheeeeee!!!
The D is exactly as I have seen described on this board. Very quiet, and just the sweetest little tone you ever did hear. Takes so little breath, it feels like I’m holding my breath when I play it.
Now, this Bb… WOW. It’s the most accurate, quick, responsive whistle I’ve played. Absolutely nails every note, every ornament, every time. It’s weird, I’ve not had this experience until now. It’s like I can play this thing twice as fast as any other. No squeaking, no octave flipping, it just goes exactly where I want it to go, and now.
One more thing, Mack’s customer service is top notch. He took VERY good care of me, in spite of a dumb Paypal mix-up.
Thanks, Mack, for the excellent products and service.
I’m a big fan of whitecaps too. I started with a D and then got another D mouthpiece and put it on a Clare 2-piece tube. I just got the A and fell in love with it. If anything, it is more responsive than the D. Maybe the larger holes have something to do with it.
The 3/4 inch diameter looks like it would take a lot of air, but it is as easy to play as the D.
Not familiar with the White Caps, but my Bb is certainly my favorite - it seems to be the one that fits the best, is easiest to play well, and is such a great pitch - almost low, not piercing at all… maybe it has as much to do with the proportion to human, though I don’t intend to belittle the quality of that particular maker’s work at all.
I just received a whitecap D mouthpiece which I used on an old Generation D tube.
The whitecap is very nice. Clear tone all the way up, great sound, just a hint of a bright edge when compared to the Burke Al-Pro D, also slightly more volume than the Burke but still very quiet.
Same here (whitecap on D Generations shaft). I’ll post more after i’ve had a chance of playing it for a couple of weeks or so, but what a great whistle!
I am very glad to hear that. I used my so far only Whitecap to save a horrific Acorn from itself. I have a Clare 2-piece but have to admit I don’t really like it much (I love the concept - just not the whistle). Knowing a Whitecap will fit a Clare tube offers a light at the end of the tunnel. And since I’ve just sold off all my Susatos and all but one of my Gens (that one, a brass Bb with an old-style mouthpiece, will appear on eBay shortly), I can even afford one without guilt.
Hmmmm… what do Whitecap owners do with the discarded mouthpieces? They’re too small for planters and too shrill for referee’s whistles.
I felt the same way about the Clare. I tried tweaking the thing every way I could think of and was never satisfied. With the whitecap, I love the sound and I carry it just about everywhere since it fits in my pocket.
The joint gives you some tuning without having to move the mouthpiece and possibly loosening the fit.
The overall length from the blade to the end of the tube is slightly shorter than the original Hoover to get the bottom note in tune. The wall of the tube is a little thicker even though the outside diameter is the same. The sound is slightly different. I go back and forth between the original and the hybrid as my favorite.
Well, I too have a white cap - I use mine on a Feadog body. It fits on a Walton as well, but I prefer the brightness of the Feadog. It totally transforms the whistle. Highly recommended!
The Clare and the Doolin are 2 different whistles. I have a Doolin 1 piece and it is narrower. The whitecap won’t fit on it without a ton of teflon tape.
I too use a Whitecap on a Gen tube, and it’s my current favorite. I do want to get a Burke, so I have a question for peeplj, are you saying that a Whitecap on a Gen tube is louder than a Burke Al Pro?
The easiest way is directly from the maker, Mack Hoover. A link to his website is below. And, if you do buy one from him, you’ll also get the pleasure of dealing with an honest man and a true gentleman.
i have a 3/4" aluminum Bb with whitecap, and it’s one of my very favorite whistles–a terrific bargain. there’s just no reason to put up with a Gen Bb when mack’s whistle is so reasonably priced.
i have a little whitecap for D whistles. i put it on an old brass Gen, and that really transformed it. i also tried it on Walton’s little black whistle. it helped, but it’s still inadequate.
now. i see that redwolf has a whitecapped Oak. i’d been wondering about the fit on Oaks, since the fit on a Gen seems just a little loose. (I had to use a pliers to get it off the little black whistle!). Someone else has a whitecapped Clare. would any of you care to comment on the fit of their whitecaps to various cheap whistles?
by the way, i just purchased on sale a Hoover C. it’s a skipole whistle, 3/4" tube with whitecap. i’m going to be very interested to see how it compares. i’ve never played that short a whistle with that big a tube.
You bought one of the ski poles, eh? Lovely things, but I’m trying to REDUCE my collection, not add to it.
The fit on an Acorn tube is very tight. I worried just a little about cracking the Whitecap, truth be told. In the end, I used just a bit of Gunslick ™ graphite dry lubricant to ease the installation. I don’t know if I’d be able to move it again, but once my tuner said it was in tune it no longer mattered since I don’t plan to remove or change it.
